Q: The Air Force has put under investigation 33 trainers at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland for suspicion of personal and sexual misconduct with 63 victims. What has the Air Force done beyond these prosecutions to ensure the safety of trainees and other Air Force personnel?

A:﻿﻿ A comprehensive review of safety measures has been completed and corrective measures implemented. These include removing closet doors, ensuring 24/7 coverage of the squadron living area by at least two staff personnel, strict key controls, and requiring that no trainee can be alone while away from a group setting. We are also increasing the number of supervisory personnel that are assigned to the training units.

Q: Do these numbers reflect that something has been askew in the culture of the Air Force? Aside from the precautions described above, is the Air Force doing something to address this particular concern?

A: I do not believe we have a culture in the Air Force that encourages or condones sexual assault. That said, we must do more to reinforce our core values of integrity, service and excellence. One way we are addressing this challenge is by assuring our workplaces foster a culture of dignity, trust and respect and are free from hostile and offensive material. To this end, we recently conducted an inspection of the work environments throughout the entire Air Force and removed materials that could be interpreted as offensive, even though much of this material is commonplace in many nonmilitary settings.

Q: We've read in some of the cases, raised during trial, of “consensual sex” between trainers and trainees and have noted also that some of the relationships occurred after training. Can you clarify whether there is any level of consensual sex acceptable between trainers and trainees — and whether, if a blanket prohibition exists, it is a mitigating circumstance legally during or after training?

A: It is important to distinguish between a trainee and student. A trainee is someone who is completing the 81/2-week basic military training program where they are under the very authoritative supervision of our military training instructor on a 24- hour basis. Any instructor misconduct in this environment is especially egregious given the power imbalance between instructor and trainee.

A student is someone who has completed basic military training and is engaged in a technical training program in which they learn the skills required by their particular job. The technical training environment does not contain the same power imbalance as the basic military training environment. Personal relationships between instructors and trainees or students, to include consensual sex, are prohibited in both environments. Each allegation of sexual misconduct is evaluated on its own merits with the judge or jury determining how to deal with the issue of consent. I am confident our judicial system is working as intended.

Q: Is the Uniform Code of Military Justice up to the task of prosecuting such cases? What are its strengths in this regard? Weaknesses?

A: The maintenance of good order and discipline among the members of a military unit is essential to success. There are unique leadership challenges associated with maintaining good order and discipline among the men and women who must face the extreme demands of battle.

Our nation has recognized these unique challenges by establishing a military legal system that is largely consistent with the civilian legal system, but also contains some important differences. I believe in the overwhelming majority of cases, the Uniform Code of Military Justice provides commanders with the tools they need to arrive at the best outcome in a particular case while maintaining good order and discipline among our fighting forces.

Q: What level of confidence should the nonmilitary public have that all such cases are being reported or otherwise discovered?

A: We are making a concerted effort to create an environment in which victims will come forward. For example, trainees are briefed earlier and more frequently on how to report maltreatment/sexual assault; and trainee feedback mechanisms have been improved. We have also added more chaplains and sexual assault response coordinators to the training staff. We have made good progress, but have more work to do.